Dear all
Thank you to everyone for your participation and good spirits throughout the day, l am very glad that everyone had a great day and that includes all the Marshals and supporting officials. All of the hard work behind the scenes is worth it when we have a field full of competitors who're enjoying themselves, staying safe and most of all smiling all day long!
We arrived at the circuit to be greeted by Goodwood's traditional early morning mist, although it quickly gave way to sunshine and light wind by the time the drivers briefing had completed, however the track remained damp following overnight rain.
Everyone completed their timed practice laps without incident, with some impressive times achieved despite the somewhat slippery conditions, Malcolm Young managing a 99.73 lap in his Cobra 289. By lunch time the sun and increasing wind had done a good job of drying the track, resulting in almost everyone rushing to be first out on track to lay down their first timed run of the day.
All went well for about an hour, at which point the drizzle/rain gods decided to pay us a visit. It only lasted about 20-30 minutes, but the damage had been done. Those competitors kind enough to keep on running saw their lap times falling below their practice runs, but with strong winds and sun blowing the wet off the track confidence increased towards the end of the day and we were back into some quicker times, albeit still not as quick as many practice times. Being within sight of home-time, almost everyone sensibly decided that it would be better to get their cars home in one piece than risk a dent on a final silly lap!
Following completion of the timed run section, the track crew kept the track open for another 30 minutes or so to allow anyone who wanted extra 'free laps' to go out and do so, which was much appreciated by a number of drivers. I had to leave my post on the timing wall in order to finalise my MSA paperwork and compute the class winners for the day, so I'm afraid I can't tell you what times were achieved in this last period, but they were definitely getting quicker again.
To everyone who stayed on to attend the prize giving, thank you very much for being so patient while I first completed my formalities with our MSA-appointed steward. Ensuring that we are 100% MSA compliant is extremely important and ensures that our event is as safe as possible for everyone involved, both on and off the track. I am very glad to report that once again we had not a single issue raised by our steward and he left our Sprint fully satisfied with all of our procedures and the performance of all Officials and Safety Staff. He was also extremely complimentary about our Club and hopes to be re-appointed to our Sprint again next year.
Before I give you the overall results, it's worth mentioning that the 'Sprint crew' included 66 officially signed-on officials, supporting 58 competitors. Now that's what I call good service and is a key reason why we are consistently able to provide everyone with what is routinely described as one of the most well organised and simultaneously relaxed events on the MSA calendar. Thank you very much to the Goodwood Motor Circuit staff and all of our own Club officials, I trust that you all slept well last night (as did I!!).
See you all again next year!!
PS: If anyone would like one of the official "2013 Goodwood Sprint" embroidered iron-on patches as given to all competitors and club officials, please contact me as I have about 22 left. They are £5 each plus postage, with all proceeds being going to the ACOC to help offset the costs of running the event.
Official class winners (for non-AC classes, 2nd and 2nd/3rd place awards are linked to class size):-
Class 5,6,7 (AC Aceca / Ace Bristol / Aceca Bristol)
1st: Andy Shepherd, Ace Bristol, 104.62
2nd: David Bennett, Ace Bristol
3rd: Steven Deacy, Aceca
Class 11,12,15 (AC Cobra / Frua / Cobra MKIV)
1st: Malcolm Thorne, Cobra MKIV Superblower, 104.10
2nd: Martin Hunt, Cobra 289
3rd: Malcolm Young, Cobra 289
Class 10,14,16 (AC Greyhound / 3000ME / Brooklands Ace)
1st: David Goose, Brooklands Ace, 121,97
2nd: Bryan Moseley, 3000ME
3rd: Nick Allen, Greyhound Bristol
Class 17a (AC Member not driving an AC Car)
1st: Jon Doubleday, Ford Cortina, 107.18
2nd: Martin Hunt, Mini Cooper
3rd: Sarah Thorne, Lotus Elise
Class 17b (AC Member not driving an AC Car)
1st: Wil Arif, MG FIA Roadster, 121.90
2nd Colin Newbold, MG FIA Roadster
3rd: Keith Lessiter, Ford Anglia
Class 18 (Aston Martin Owners' Club)
1st: Nigel Grice, DB2/4, 132.36
Class 20 (VSCC)
1st: Patrick Blakeney Edwards, Austin Healey 3000, 105.16
2nd: Spike Milligan, Connaught A7
Class 27 (The Pre-War Austin Seven Club)
1st: Martin Whittaker, Austin Seven Single Seater, 150.11
2nd: Vince Leek, Austin Seven Single Seater, 154.27
Class 21 (BMW Historic Motor Club)
1st: Peter Campbell, Wingfield Bristol Special, 108.86
2nd: Alastair Pugh, Frazer Nash BMW 328
3rd:Tom Thornton, Frazer Nash BMW 319/28 Special
Class 23 (Frazer Nash Car Club)
1st Patrick Blakeney Edwards, 118.78
2nd: Philip Champion, Frazer Nash Millie Millia
Class 24 (BARC)
1st: Glyn Skethley, Force GT, 98.05
2nd: Kirby Boggis, BMW E30-M3
Class 25,17 (Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club and AC Owners' Club Jaguars)
1st: Chris Keith-Lucas, Jaguar XK120, 110.64
2nd: Paul Kennely, Jaguar E-type Semi-Lightweight
3rd: Nick FInburgh, Jaguar C-type